Tom Hardy Just Dropped A Rap Mixtape He Recorded In 1999 and It’s Actually Pretty Dope

Fun fact: before he was Hollywood’s most sought-after villain (and heartthrob), Tom Hardy went by the stage name Tommy No. 1 and was on the fast track to becoming a rapper. Although he obviously ended up pursuing a different path, we still have been treated to some samples of his previous work.

Edward Tracy, a BAFTA-winning television writer and director, hopped on Bandcamp to share an unfinished mixtape he and Hardy recorded in 1999 called Falling on Your Arse in 1999. The project was discovered by Reddit users and later picked up by music sites like Noisey and Pitchfork. The previously undiscovered jazz-tinged hip-hop tracks were produced by Tracy (aka Eddie Too Tall) with Hardy rapping. As much as I tend to side eye people who claim they “used to rap,” this Sir Hardy actually has talent and these songs are fire. Listen for yourself below.

Back in 2011, Hardy told BBC Newsbeat that he had a record deal on the table at 15, but didn’t sell because of his middle-class upbringing. “I used to be with the guy who managed Leela James and Lauren Hill, Pras, the Fugees and all that. I worked out with (Grammy winning producers) Warren Riker and Gordon Williams. I’ve recorded loads of stuff but it’s never been released.” He goes on to admit, “I wasn’t very good!”

Well, we beg to differ!

Speaking of ’90s rap, Diddy’s first-born son Justin Combs is the next contestant to defend his rap card in a game of Hip Hop Card Revoked.